The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Yan Lie, like a raging bull, kicked the floor tiles so hard they cracked, and charged straight at Qi Ji with a howling wind.

His body was surrounded by surging air currents, his clothes fluttering in the wind, and his 2.5-meter-tall, burly figure seemed to cleave the air itself as he passed by, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Watch out, Little White!"

Yuan Yao nestled in the Queen's arms and couldn't help but cry out.

King Bilin's expression was solemn. He reached out and protected his wife and daughter even more tightly, taking several steps back.

Yuan Shuying stood at the back of the crowd, her brows furrowed tightly.

She had clearly instructed Ji Zhu to repeatedly tell Yan Lie to kill Yuan Yao as soon as he entered, but now Yan Lie is fixated on the auspicious beast, the white deer, which is putting the cart before the horse.

Although Yuan Shuying had anticipated this situation, seeing it with her own eyes still made her feel angry.

Yan Lie is utterly foolish.

All eyes in the arena were now focused on the two figures in the center of the arena.

Yan Lie leaped into the air, channeling all his power into the axe blade.

"laugh"

The Mountain-Splitting Axe cleaved horizontally, unleashing a three-zhang-long crescent-shaped axe blade, gleaming with a chilling light, and slashing down at Qi Ji with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

This strike was Yan Lie's all-out attack in a fit of rage; the force of the axe cleaved even the red carpet on the ground.

"snort"

Qi Ji did not retreat even half a step.

With its head slightly lowered, the antlers emitted a warm luster as it directly met the axe's force.

"Plop~~~"

The seemingly terrifying crescent-shaped aura, upon colliding with the deer antlers, lasted only a brief moment before collapsing like glass, dissipating into specks of light that vanished into the air.

Then Qi Ji continued his momentum, and the deer antlers slammed solidly into Yan Lie's chest.

"Bang!"

"Pfft—"

Yan Lie had just used his ultimate move; his old strength was exhausted and no new strength had been generated, leaving him no room to dodge.

He felt as if a mountain had struck his chest, and he was instantly sent flying backward, crashing through the second-floor railing and walls with a loud bang, smashing several carved decorations along with him, and embedding himself deep into the inner wall.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene, and after a long while, someone finally gasped in shock.

"Wow...such powerful strength!"

Yuan Yao stared, her mouth agape, completely mesmerized.

King Bilin's eyes also gleamed as he exclaimed in amazement, "No wonder it was able to defeat the Black Eagle; the White Deer's physical strength is truly formidable."

In the shadows of a corner of the venue, a figure wearing a bronze mask frowned slightly; it was Ji Zhu, who was mixed in with the crowd.

Not far away, Yuan Shuying, using the crowd as cover, raised her wrist slightly and made a quick hand gesture in her direction—act immediately and kill Yuan Yao in the chaos.

Ji Zhu nodded slightly, pressed her body against the pillar, and silently approached Yuan Yao's direction under the cover of the chaotic crowd.

Dust billowed from the broken wall on the second floor.

Qi Ji slightly bent his limbs, leaped, and lightly jumped onto the second-floor broken platform.

Before Yan Lie could break free from the wall, he lowered his head, and with his antlers braving the strong wind, launched a series of fierce attacks on Yan Lie.

"You beast! How dare you!"

Yan Lie was both shocked and furious. He swung his last remaining axe to block and dodge, but Qi Ji was too fast. He attacked with deer antlers and hooves in turn, each move heavy and fierce.

He managed to block two blows before being kicked hard in the shoulder armor, sending him flying sideways and crashing heavily into the load-bearing wall.

With a "crack," the wall split open with spiderweb-like cracks, and Yan Lie was half-embedded in it. He could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Damn it, I actually........."

As Yan Lie watched Bai Lu approach step by step, a sense of powerlessness rose in his heart for the first time.

Despite his innate superhuman strength, coupled with thirty years of arduous training in domineering internal energy and physical strength, he was utterly helpless against this deer.

Yan Lie couldn't understand how this beast could become so ridiculously strong in just over two months.

However, Yan Lie didn't have time to think much, because Qi Ji had already lowered his head, and the antlers, gleaming coldly, were poised to strike him again.

Downstairs, King Bilin, hearing the continuous loud noises and the sound of walls collapsing on the second floor, finally came to his senses and sternly ordered: "All guards, listen to my command! Clear out the bandits in the area and protect the lords!"

Upon hearing this, the royal guards and the martial artists from the Wanhua Merchant Guild were greatly encouraged and launched a counterattack against the group of outlaws.

"Protect the King first, Queen and Princess, leave!" Lin Qin shouted in a deep voice, sword in hand, clearing the way.

Yuan Shuying's heart sank; she was extremely unwilling.

She left just like that, and Ji Zhu didn't even have a chance to make a move.

Queen Ning Shu had already pulled Yuan Yao around, so she could only suppress her irritation and follow closely behind.

Su Yanji stood on the high platform, her face icy cold, and said to the steward beside her in a cold voice: "Pass down the order: anyone who dares to destroy my Wanhua Chamber of Commerce's premises, do not let a single one go. Take them all down, life or death."

The spider hid behind the pillar, its brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

She was surrounded by layers of royal guards, and she was still six or seven zhang away from Yuan Yao. She also had to avoid the fighting crowds along the way. She had a poisoned sleeve arrow hidden in her sleeve, but at this distance, the slightest deviation could accidentally injure King Bilin or the Queen, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

She gritted her teeth and was about to take a few more steps forward, using a corpse as cover, when a piercing cracking sound suddenly came from above.

Ji Zhu's expression changed, and she hurriedly leaped back.

"Boom—!"

The second-floor floor could no longer bear the weight and collapsed with a crash.

A burly figure covered in blood was stomped on the chest by a snow-white deer hoof and fell straight down from the second floor, crashing heavily onto the floor of the first-floor lobby, creating a shallow crater.

"Bang!"

Yan Lie lay in the pit, his body covered in blood.

The wound on his chest, torn open by the antlers, was so deep that the bone was visible. His shoulders, back, waist, and abdomen were covered in bruises and swellings. His once indestructible body armor was now shattered.

But he was, after all, one of the Ten Great Villains, and his martial arts skills were extraordinary.

If it were an ordinary expert, taking those blows from Qi Ji would have broken their bones and killed them long ago.

Although Yan Lie was severely injured and his breathing was disordered, he still had the ability to move and his combat power was not completely destroyed.

Qi Ji leaped down from the collapsed hole, landing steadily in front of him. He lightly pawed the ground with his hooves, preparing to press his advantage. At the same time, he secretly thought to himself, "This bastard is a big muscle guy, he's really tough. Is he like a cockroach? He can still stand up like this."

"roar--!"

Yan Lie suddenly let out a beast-like roar.

Suddenly, a dense crimson aura erupted from his body, surging like raging flames, causing his hair to stand on end and his eyes to turn blood-red instantly. A violent and ferocious aura swept out from him, more than twice as strong as before.

(￣.￣)

Qi Ji paused slightly, his steps faltering.

This aura... how did it surge so much?

"Bloodlust Frenzy!"

Not far away, Su Yanji looked at the blood-red true energy surging around Yan Lie like flames, her expression suddenly changed, and she cried out.

She recognized this forbidden technique.

This is an evil technique created by "Overlord Blade," the leader of the Ten Great Evils. It costs the user's own essence and lifespan to increase their power several times over in a short period of time. The price is extremely high, but it is incomparably fierce.

She never expected that Yan Lie would also know this forbidden technique.

Her heart tightened, and she couldn't help but feel worried for Qi Ji.

But the next second, she froze.

Enveloped in crimson true energy, Yan Lie, his eyes bloodshot and looking like a madman, charged towards Qi Ji like a madman, wielding the Mountain-Splitting Axe.

The axe blade was imbued with a bloodthirsty aura, making it even more terrifying than the previous axe-wielding attack.

Qi Ji only paused for a moment before meeting him again.

[Agile Burst].

Having consumed 2 points of spiritual energy, a shimmering white light rose from Qi Ji's body, with a halo flowing over his antlers, and his entire body exuding an explosive power.

Without dodging or avoiding, it charged straight ahead with its head down, its antlers colliding fiercely with the axe blade once again.

"Buzz—"

A muffled tremor resounded, and the air at the center of the collision was twisted and deformed by the immense force. A visible shockwave burst out in a ring, scattering the wreckage of tables and chairs all around.

Immediately afterwards, there was a crisp "snap" sound.

The mountain-splitting axe in Yan Lie's hand, which could cut through iron like mud, shattered from the middle down along the point where the deer antlers struck, turning into countless iron fragments that shot out.

The force, still lingering, slammed heavily into Yan Lie's chest.

Yan Lie was struck dumb, a look of extreme horror flashing in his scarlet eyes. Then he was sent flying again, crashing through the wall next to the venue door and flying outside.

The audience was silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the snow-white figure in the center of the field, their minds completely blank.

Just now, Yan Lie's aura surged, and he was about to turn the tables and kill Yan Lie. How come he suffered an even more crushing defeat in the blink of an eye?

Is it that Yan Lie's forbidden technique is outwardly powerful but inwardly weak, or... is the auspicious beast, the white deer, inherently stronger than anyone could have imagined?